Marauders
by queeniegoldstein
Summary: The story of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.


**Chapter One: September 1st, 1971**

The time read 03:54 when James Potter awoke on the first day of September. He was both too excited and nervous to be sleeping.

This was the day he would finally be going to Hogwarts.

In just a few short hours, his trunk, owl, and broomstick (while the rules stated first years weren't allowed to join the Quidditch team, it didn't mean James couldn't practice with his own broom) would be joining him as he made his way to King's Cross station to catch the Hogwarts Express. In James' opinion, this was better than Christmas, which was saying something because he _really_ loved Christmas.

James had been to Hogwarts once before. He had been eight-years-old and had accompanied his dad on a business trip to the castle to see the Potions Master. Slug-something or other was his name, not that James really cared all that much; his eight-year-old eyes were captivated by the sheer beauty and vastness of the castle. James' dad would chuckle as he fondly remembered the visit for James had always been a rather chatty child; Fleamont and Euphemia Potter had not been able to shut him up since the moment he was able to start forming coherent words. That day, however, James' mouth hung wide open, yet not a single word came tumbling out.

'You couldn't believe your eyes,' his father would recall when James asked him about it; he loved hearing the story. 'You tried to count all the steps on every staircase and got frustrated when they kept changing because it meant you had to start again in case you counted the same staircase twice. You did not want to leave that day.'

That was the first night he dreamed of Hogwarts. For the next three years, James would count down each and every single day until he was finally allowed to start his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The much anticipated day had finally arrived.

With another glance at the clock on his bedside table, which now read 04:07, James groaned and fell backwards on his bed, looking up at the white, vacant ceiling.

This was going to be a long wait.

* * *

Sirius did not sleep a wink; his mind was racing with thoughts of the coming day.

For the first time in his life, Sirius could escape his family. He absolutely despised the lot of them (however, there were a couple of exceptions to that.)

As the first-born son, Sirius was expected to be the heir to the Black family legacy. The key-word there was _expected._ As his mother liked to remind him on a daily basis - in fact, it was more like an hourly basis - Sirius was a disappointment to the Black name. In all honesty, Sirius was proud to be the black sheep of the family if it meant that he was nothing at all like his parents. There was nothing even remotely decent about them; their hearts were as black as their name... _if_ they even had hearts, that is. Sirius wasn't so sure.

A knock on his bedroom door interrupted his thoughts.

'Sirius?' There was only one person a soft and gentle voice could come from out of Sirius' family. The voice belonged to his cousin, Andromeda.

Andromeda was one of two people in their family who Sirius did not hate. Somehow, she had turned out alright, which was a remarkable feat when compared with her sisters. Bellatrix, the elder sister, was cruel and sadistic and took a considerable amount of pleasure in other people's pain. Narcissa was the youngest of the three sisters and the most boring and cowardly, in Sirius' opinion. While she copied her eldest sister with almost everything, Sirius didn't think she had the guts to go ahead with some of the things he knew Bellatrix had done in the past, including the torture of some Muggle-born students (his aunt and uncle had been summoned into a meeting with Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, much to their displeasure - Sirius had been very surprised Bellatrix had not been expelled for that.) However, Sirius could breathe a sigh of relief knowing Bellatrix had already completed her education at Hogwarts and would not be there whilst he was. Being six years his senior, Andromeda was going into her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. The weight on his shoulders was slightly lifted knowing there would be one person at school that he could trust should he need any help.

'Sirius, are you decent? We're almost ready to leave.'

Walburga and Orion Black were not what most would consider parental. Where most parents would be thrilled and proud to see their first-born off to their first day at school, perhaps even shed a tear at the sight of their baby all grown up, Walburga and Orion Black did not have time for such tedious milestones, in particular ones that required them to mingle with folk who were half-blood or less. If none of Sirius' cousins were attending Hogwarts at the same time, guaranteed his mother would have ordered the family house elf, Kreacher, to escort him to the station. Thankfully, Andromeda (and Narcissa) were still at school and thus, much to Narcissa's very vocal annoyance, Sirius had been left in their capable hands to ensure he boarded the train and not done a runner from the family. There was no chance he would ever miss the opportunity of going to Hogwarts, but he was definitely not ruling out the latter option should he be sorted into Slytherin.

The door creaked open and in the doorway stood his cousin, who was already wearing her Hogwarts robes and had her jet black hair arranged neatly into a bun at the back of her head. In her right hand was her wand, and with a quick flick at Sirius' trunk, it began to float, following her as she walked down the hallway and descended the stairs. Andromeda had turned seventeen in February, which meant she was legally allowed to use magic outside of school, and was taking advantage of that fact at every opportunity she could much to the annoyance of her youngest sister. Sirius was almost ready to burst at the idea of being able to perform magic at school; no longer would he have to stare longingly at older relatives.

'Sirius!' He heard Andromeda's voice calling impatiently from downstairs. 'Get a move on!'

There were butterflies in his stomach from nerves and excitement, making him feel sick, yet he could not stop grinning like a Cheshire cat as he exited his bedroom, the door creaking shut behind him for the final time until next summer.

* * *

'Have we packed enough socks? I don't think we have.'

'Honey, he's got enough socks, he doesn't need any more.'

'Or underwear,' Remus Lupin supplied helpfully. Currently, his school trunk was overflowing with piles and piles of clothes that Remus was sure he did not need to take with him to a magical boarding school.

This was going to be a difficult adjustment on his parents for Remus was not an ordinary boy. At the age of just four (he was approaching his fifth birthday), Remus had been asleep in his bed when a werewolf had climbed through his bedroom window and attacked. From then on, Remus had been afflicted with Lycanthropy. His parents had taken him to several Healers over the years in a bid to control and cure his monthly ailment, however, despite their efforts, there was, at present, no cure for his condition. Each month he would transform into a deadly monster. It was a lot to be burdened with at his age and it had forced him to age quicker than most kids his age.

Remus' condition was kept top secret for if anyone found out about him, he would be subjected to prejudice and discrimination. His condition had caused his parents to become recluses on the off chance that someone would discover his secret. It also meant that, in order to avoid detection, they had been forced to move several times over a period of six years. There was no way of controlling the werewolf once it emerged and while his parents did their best to ensure the wolf remained locked up during its transformation, there had been more than one instance where the wolf had managed to escape. Thanks to Lyall Lupin's quick thinking, and all the traps he had placed around his transformation zone, the wolf had not been able to hurt anyone.

What if it happened in school? What if the other kids found out? While Remus was craving normality (what was more normal than school?), he wasn't sure whether it was worth him going. For years he had resigned himself to the idea that he would never be going to Hogwarts in a million years - and his parents had agreed it was too dangerous. That was until the Headmaster appeared on their doorstep to explain he did not see a reason as to why Remus should not be allowed to study at Hogwarts, as long as all the necessary precautions were taken to ensure everyone's safety, including Remus'.

The plan was to usher him to the base of a specially planted tree on the school grounds, enter through a secret passageway, and spend the night on a reinforced and magically protected room in order to transform in a safe environment. Albus Dumbledore would personally cast the spells in order for Remus to have a safe space to wait out the night.

'It could work,' his father had said upon hearing the plan.

Dumbledore had invited the three of them to Hogwarts during the summer to inspect the area. The specially planted tree was growing nicely and, by the time term starts, it ought to be fully grown.

Lyall and Hope had been eager for Remus to accept his place at Hogwarts school - they wanted their only child to be a child that little bit longer; a ' _normal boy_ ' as they put it.

Only he wasn't a normal boy.

There was nothing normal about Remus Lupin.

Remus had made up his mind that he would give Hogwarts a trial - if he could keep his secret exactly that up until Christmas then he would stay at Hogwarts; however, should he fail and his secret exposed, he would be on the first train back home.

He had to this.

He had to do this for his parents. If that meant letting his mum throw more socks than he thought he owned into his trunk, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

'Okay, I think we have everything,' Hope announced finally - Remus was actually surprised she managed to get the case to close without having his father resort to magic in order to do it. 'Lyle, dear, would you mind giving me a hand putting this trunk in the back of the car?'

After giving his wife a quick peck on the cheek, Lyall hauled the trunk into his arms (with great difficulty, too), and made his way to where Hope's car was sitting outside the house. His dad could have used magic in order to move the trunk effortlessly to the car, though Remus knew he refrained from using magic too often around the house for mundane chores out of respect for his wife.

'Ready to go?' Hope asked her son; though she attempted to conceal her concern, Remus could see it in the lines of her weary face.

Remus smiled at his mother in what he hoped was a reassuring way. 'I'm ready.'

He really hated lying to his parents.

* * *

After a large breakfast consisting of three of everything, including eggs, bacon, sausages, and hash browns, not to mention baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and fried bread (and he was still hungry after but he was saving himself for the delicious treats awaiting him on the train), and after a bit of last minute packing, Peter Pettigrew was finally ready to leave for King's Cross station.

Ever since he received his letter all Peter could think about was which House he would be sorted into once he arrived at Hogwarts. He liked the idea of Gryffindor - he didn't think he was brave enough, though. His mum told him he was the bravest boy around, but he thought she was just being a mum. Didn't all mothers tell their sons that?

As for Ravenclaw - well, his mum told him he was a smart boy, but he still struggled with reading; the words would get muddled up in his head. It happened all the time when he tried to read something. Maybe Ravenclaw wouldn't be the best fit for him.

Everyone knew Slytherin was full of dark witches and wizards. They were said to be cunning, resourceful, and ambitious - all traits that Peter was lacking in.

Knowing his luck, he would end up a Hufflepuff. Not that he minded too much - his mother had been a Hufflepuff and was proud - but it was the House everyone else ended up in because they did not match the other three; there wasn't anything special about people in Hufflepuff.

Peter tried not to dwell on it too much, after all it was the responsibility of the Sorting Hat to tell you where to go.

Speaking of going somewhere -

'Mum! _Come on_ , we're going to miss the train at this rate.'

* * *

'Wow!'

The scarlet steam train did not disappoint.

Stationed right in front of James Potter was the Hogwarts Express.

'If you think that's impressive, son, wait until you take the boat across the lake - you get a great view of the castle. There's nothing else like it.'

James beamed at his father for sharing that little tidbit with him. For a very brief second, James' smile faltered; while he was full of energy and bouncing with nerves and excitement, he was also tinged with a small amount of sadness. This was goodbye for the time being. Thinking back, James had never even spent one night away from his parents and now he was to go to a boarding school several hundred miles away in Scotland. He was really going to miss his parents. While he promised to write to them every week, it still wasn't going to be the same.

The conductor blew his whistle once as a signal for those wishing to board the train. James glanced at the clock above his head - the train would be departing in less than five minutes.

This was it.

'Ready, son?'

'Ready.'

As quickly as he could, James hugged his parents one last time (and had his mother unsuccessfully trying to flatten his hair again), and with a deep, steadying breath, James walked over to the train and boarded.

Finding an empty carriage was easier than he expected considering how crowded the middle of the train was as kids shouted final goodbyes to their families.

The conductor whistled once again; James' leg was bouncing with pent up energy and his heart hammered against his chest with anticipation.

The train started to move.

This is it.

James caught sight of his smiling parents, both waving enthusiastically at him. James was waving back at them just as frantically until the train rounded the corner and his parents disappeared out of sight.

Hogwarts here he comes.

* * *

 **First chapter syndrome... this was just setting the scene and establishing character personalities.**

 **Do you want me to focus on a certain characters? Would you like me to continue with this format of all four Marauders?**

 **If you liked it, could you please leave me a review?**


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